[ITW] – Qlank

Hi Qlank ! How are you ? We know you very well but can you introduce yourself ?

Hello my name is Qlank I have been making music for quite a while bouncing around genres through the years. I still also continue to make lots of different kinds of music. I was born in Kitchener Ontario Canada but grew up just outside of Detroit in Michigan which is where I got my first taste of the electronic techno and house scene. The rest is history!

 

You officially launched in 2018, what made you want to create the Qlank project ?

Earlier this year I kind of had an epiphany one night and thought of Qlank. I had been making music under a couple other names which I still continue to do but with Qlank now in the picture as well I feel whole. It feels great to be back and inspired so immensely everyday!

 

Your first success was « Wake Up », can you talk about this track ?

Wake Up was actually the first Qlank track that I made and so thats what i wanted to be the first release on my page. Wake Up was my intro for everyone to get a taste of what my sound is gonna be like. The vocal in the middle is referring to society today and how we are all so sucked into to social media and technology that we forgot to actually live our lives.

 

You also brought out several remixs (« The Call » of Valy Mo or « Scream For Daddy » of ANGELZ and SLATIN), what do you like in this exercise ? The possibility of giving your own vision of the track ?

The remixes that have just a vocal are so fun because you can get creative as you want to with full freedom to create your own track. opposed to when stems are given and most people then would base around more than just the vocal.

 

One month ago, you released your EP « Hollow » on our label, what was the creation process behind this project ?

My Hollow EP is was some of the most fun I’ve had in a creative aspect. On Hollow I really tried to sound very dark and mysterious which is a vibe I love and go for a lot with my tunes. Hollow was very inspired by the dark woods and creepy noises you hear while walking through.

 

Your music is great mixture of bass but also of house, the whole with very fat and original tones, how did you arrived to this style which defines you perfectly now ?

So my sound is a culmination of all of my years in sound design and producing multiple genres. I actually listen to bass music maybe more than I do house nowadays but I think thats where I draw a lot of my inspiration from when i sit down and start writing a track.

 

One month ago, you create with some others artists (Fish Scale, ATLAST, Vincent De France) the label « The Boat House ». What is the main objective ? Gather some others house’s artists or just bring to the public some new talents ?

The Boat House is a crew, squad, Label, and a bunch of friends supporting each other which is very important. I think lots of people forgot how important support to us artists is. It is everything and we are always striving for more. The Boat House is a great example of support.

 

On your last EP which called « Movement EP », we can feel the impact of the techno style, it shows that you do not lock yourself into only one musical style, it is important for you to explore different style ?

So my Movement Ep is a piece of my heart for all to hear. I comes directly inspired by DEMF festival now called Movement in downtown Detroit where it all started. I will never forget my first time in attendance and leaving the first night thinking to myself i wanna be on that stage.

 

On your last one collab which was released on Diverge, we always feel these very fat tones and heavy bass, what CYMN has been bringing to the track ?

CYMN and myself sent this one back and forth and went hard on sound design with this one it changed many times before it became this. might be the longest I’ve worked on a Qlank tune yet.

 

Today, we still find you with “Give Back” in our new compilation with Gold Digger, Diverge and House Views. In this track, the vibe is jerky and the tones are more light (with this piano). What did you want to create ?

This track Give Back is another track for Detroit I wanted to create something that was soulful yet heavy and dark which is very similar to Detroit as a whole. Its all about where you go and who you know but also to never forget where you come from.

 

Recently, you played in Los Angeles with Wuki, what are your future projects now ?

The Wuki show was an amazing and special experience for me as my whole family was there and I played all original music that night for 90 minutes. I was at the club that i used to have a residency at playing other peoples music. Now I’m back but with my own music !

 

Thank you, Qlank for answering our questions !

 

Huge thanks to Bastien Monbet for this interview !

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